


Acute Sinusitis

by Sharcade



Series: Whump Challenge [1]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Hiding Medical Issues, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, Implied/Referenced Child Neglect, Pain, Sick Character, Sickfic, Suffering, Whump, whump challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 03:07:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16359545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharcade/pseuds/Sharcade
Summary: Max has a sinus infection. David has a solution. Neil can't mind his own damn business.(Day 1 of my 30 Day Whump Challenge!)





	Acute Sinusitis

When Max woke up, the first thought in his head was  _pain._

His face hurt, it had been hurting for the past few days. Despite Max's best efforts to stave off the recognition that he was sick, the throbbing pain that was running up his head at the moment told him that it was time to throw in the towel. He wasn't well. Despite that, Max would rather die than admit to David that he was sick - sickness was weakness, and any weakness was a chance for David to jam his weaselly little snout into Max's personal business. Max didn't want to be doted on, it was disgusting, thus ignoring his body would always be the better choice.

These were Max's thoughts exactly as he got out of bed in the morning, his tent seeming to sway and blur around him as he came to his senses. Neil was already awake - Neil often woke up before him, Max wasn't much of a morning person - standing idly by the coffee machine, watching as the pot filled up. Neil and Max had very few things in common, but both of them could get behind a cup of black coffee in the morning. It had taken some time for Neil to adjust to black, but it had been Max who had pushed him to do so. Any coffee but black was for sissies.

"Woah, you okay?"

Max blinked in momentary surprise, almost forgetting he had just gotten out of bed without so much as a  _good morning_. He refocused on Neil, the other camper's eyes equally focused on him. Neil seemed almost perturbed at the sight of Max, and the boy wondered if maybe he looked about as awful as he felt.

"I'm fine," he answered definitively, rubbing his eye and wincing slightly at the burst of pain that followed. "Mind your own business."

"Your face is really red, Max," Neil muttered, pouring his coffee without taking his eyes away from Max. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm-" Max began, hissing quietly and pressing a palm to his forehead as pain rushed through his face once again. "I'm  _fine,_ it's just a morning headache."

"Is that a thing-?"

"Yes,  _Neil_ , it's a thing," Max spat. "So shut up."

"Alright," Neil hesitated. "Well, I've got coffee ready, you thirsty yet?"

"Yeah, yeah, jus' gimme a minute," Max mumbled, realizing suddenly how congested he sounded.

David would pick on up that in a second.

The next few seconds happened in a blur. The last thing Max knew, he was walking towards the coffee machine. A simple action he did every morning. The next thing Max knew, he was falling. The second Max's head struck the ground it felt like his brain was exploding, his face flaring wildly with pain as it hit the dirt.

"Fuck!" Max snapped, hurriedly rolling onto his back and tangling his fingers agonizedly in his hair as pain erupted through him.

"Max?!"

"Don't fucking touch me!" Max spat. "Just- Just give me a second- God!"

"Max, seriously, you're not okay!" Neil exclaimed, dropping to his knees next to the smaller camper and looking him over hastily. "What's going on?!"

Max couldn't will out a response, his face burning with pain as Neil desperately helped him to his feet. Max's face felt like it was pulsing, sweat matting his hair to his forehead as Neil helped him to his bed, the camper making a few weak attempts at protest before giving in and lying back down.

"Max, holy shit, what was that?" Neil pressed, his coffee long abandoned on the floor. "You fucking collapsed! I'm going to get David!"

"Neil, don't you fucking  _dare!"_

"I'll be right back!"

" _Neil!"_

Max let out a frustrated groan, one that was met with silence. Neil was gone. Great, fucking  _great,_ now David was going to show up and obsess over him like some kind of maternal dumbass mother hen while Max tried to fight back his already-throbbing headache. David was like a sickness all on his own, and Max, frankly, didn't have time for another fucking disease.

"Neil?" Max mumbled, the silence he was left with suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "You back?"

Max was used to being left alone while he was sick, attention wasn't something he had a lot of at home. When Max was sick, he'd be left to his own devices until he got better. That usually meant being alone - his parents wouldn't want to get sick, after all. Sometimes he'd be able to take some medicine, typically only if he could find something in the cabinet, but most of the time he would just stay in his room until he felt well enough to go back to school. Having people around him while he was sick was something foreign to him - it didn't feel right. It made him squirmy.

"Max?!"

"Fuck off," Max groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as David's voice pierced his internal monologue. "Just let me rot."

"He was like this when he woke up," Neil murmured. "I think he was dizzy or something, he fell down."

"Did you hit your head?" David questioned, frowning as he gently cupped Max's cheek and looked over him. "You're warm, do you have a fever? How are you feeling?"

"Crack his head open and look at his brain!"

"Nikki?!"

"She followed us here," Neil chimed in. "Sorry Max."

"He could have parasites!"

"He doesn't have parasites, Nikki," David assured, forcing a smile for a moment before dropping it quickly. "Max, do you have parasites?"

"Can everybody just get the fuck out?!" Max snapped. "Jesus Christ! Just leave me alone!"

There was a brief pause of silence, Max listening idly to the sounds of quiet shuffling - he didn't bother opening his eyes to see what was happening, it would probably be disappointing at best. The silence continued; finally, everybody was gone, Max was alone.

"Alright, it's just me now."

Max was not alone.

"David, fucking  _leave,_ " Max spat. "I don't need your  _pity._ "

"I think you've got a sinus infection, you're not sounding too good."

"So let me fucking lie here until I feel better," Max retorted. "Don't you dare make me do dumb-fucking-random-hobby camp or whatever the hell you have planned for today."

"Can you open your eyes?"

Max grunted, opening his eyes slightly and instantly spotting David hovering above him. If Max didn't know any better, he might even say that David looked worried, his face affixed in a small frown as he inspected the camper.

"Do they hurt?"

"Like hell."

"How does your nose feel?"

"Fucking bad."

"Does this hurt?" David asked, cautiously pressing a finger to the bridge of Max's nose.

The second David touched him, pain erupted once again through Max's face, the camper biting back a yelp as he swatted at David's hand.

"Yes! Fuck, warn me next time, asshole!"

"Sorry! Sorry," David coaxed, his hand flinching away from Max's face before hesitantly stroking his hair away from his forehead. "But if that hurt, it's definitely a sinus infection."

"So am I gonna die or something?"

"You're not going to die," David chuckled, standing up. "You just need some medicine."

"So I'll rot here then."

"What? No," David paused, frowning slightly. "I'm going to go out and buy you medicine."

Max raised an eyebrow, sitting up and eyeing David suspiciously. Nobody had ever,  _ever_ bought him medicine. It just wasn't something that  _happened._ Medicine was expensive, especially prescription medicine, and money wasn't something that people dished out to  _Max._

"I don't have the money for that," Max began hesitantly.

"Of course not," David mused, carefully guiding Max back down onto the bed. "You're only ten, I'll pay for it."

"You're gonna buy me medicine?" Max interrogated, sitting back up. "That's fucking expensive, David."

"Sure," David dodged, lying Max back down once again. "But you're sick, and I want you to feel better!"

"But-"

"How about we make a deal?" David offered. "I'll go buy you some medicine, and when you're feeling your best again, you give  _me_ your full energy in your camp activities!"

"Half energy." Max bargained, smirking slightly despite the pain it caused.

"Sixty-five percent."

"Deal."

"Great! I'll be back in half an hour, get some rest!"

"No promises!"

David offered one last smile before leaving the tent, letting out a sigh once he was out of Max's line of sight. It was all about bartering. Sometimes, David had to know when to pick his battles. Not every moment with Max had to be a psychoanalysis, not every moment had to be a teaching moment. Sometimes it was okay to play by Max's rules. Sometimes it was okay to barter. Sometimes David didn't have to lay all his cards on the table and explain how much he cared about Max's wellbeing, explain how angry Max's family made him, sometimes it was okay to just drop hints, to just take care of Max.

David was okay with that.

**Author's Note:**

> I now have an official Tumblr! Feel free to stop by and drop a request!
> 
> https://sharcade-involved.tumblr.com/


End file.
